JP6937651B2 - Welding robot operation terminal and welding robot system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a welding robot operation terminal and a welding robot system.

Conventionally, welding conditions of a welding robot may be set by using an operation terminal of the welding robot called a teach pendant or the like. The operation terminal has a display unit for displaying welding conditions and an input unit for receiving input of welding conditions.

Welding conditions may be set according to the arc condition. However, since strong light (hereinafter referred to as "welding light") is emitted along with the arc discharge, it is difficult to confirm the state of the arc with the naked eye. Therefore, the state of the arc may be confirmed through a light-shielding plate provided on the welded surface. The light-shielding plate is configured to block almost all welding light, and the shape and mode of the arc can be safely confirmed by using the light-shielding plate.

Patent Document 1 describes a welding helmet provided with a welding surface that automatically switches the transmittance of the light-shielding plate according to the presence or absence of welding light. This eliminates the need to repeatedly attach and detach the welded surface during welding and non-welding.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-507580

When setting the welding conditions of the welding robot at the time of welding, for example, if the welding helmet described in Patent Document 1 is attached, the view is blocked by the darkened shading plate, so even if the arc state can be confirmed, it is displayed on the operation terminal. It is difficult to confirm the welding conditions to be performed. Therefore, the welding helmet must be repeatedly attached and detached in order to confirm the welding conditions, which complicates the work of confirming the welding conditions. On the other hand, if the welding helmet is not worn, the welding conditions displayed on the operation terminal can be confirmed, but it is difficult to confirm the state of the arc.

Therefore, the present invention provides an operation terminal for a welding robot that can set welding conditions while simultaneously checking the state of the arc and the welding conditions.

The operation terminal of the welding robot according to one aspect of the present invention has a display surface for displaying the welding conditions of the welding robot, and at least a part of visible light incident from one side of the display surface is transmitted to the other side of the display surface. It is provided with a display unit, an input unit that receives input of welding conditions of the welding robot, and a light-shielding plate that is located so as to overlap the display unit and blocks a part of welding light.

According to this aspect, since the welding light is blocked by the light-shielding plate provided in the operation terminal, the operator can confirm the state of the arc through the operation terminal. Further, the operation terminal is provided with a display unit for displaying welding conditions and an input unit for receiving input of welding conditions. Therefore, the operator can set the welding conditions via the input unit while simultaneously checking the arc state and the welding conditions.

In the above aspect, the input unit may include a touch panel, and the display unit may be provided so as to be sandwiched between the light-shielding plate and the touch panel.

According to this aspect, since the welding conditions can be input by directly touching the operation terminal, the operation of the operation terminal can be intuitively performed. Further, by providing a touch panel instead of the physical button, the space for installing the physical button can be reduced, and the operation terminal can be made compact.

In the above aspect, the light-shielding plate is configured so that the transmittance changes depending on the presence or absence of the welding light incident, and the transmittance is lower when the welding light is incident than when the welding light is not incident. You may become.

According to this aspect, since the transmittance of the light-shielding plate is automatically changed depending on whether or not welding is performed, the operator does not need to adjust the transmittance of the light-shielding plate, and the efficiency of the welding work is improved.

The welding robot system according to another aspect of the present invention has a welding robot that performs welding and a display surface that displays the welding conditions of the welding robot, and displays at least a part of visible light incident from one side of the display surface. A display unit that transmits to the other side of the surface, an input unit that receives input of welding conditions of the welding robot, and an operation terminal of the welding robot that has a light-shielding plate that is located so as to overlap the display unit and blocks a part of welding light. Be prepared.

According to this aspect, since the welding light is blocked by the light-shielding plate provided in the operation terminal, the operator can confirm the state of the arc through the operation terminal. Further, the operation terminal is provided with a display unit for displaying welding conditions and an input unit for receiving input of welding conditions. Therefore, the operator can set the welding conditions via the input unit while simultaneously checking the arc state and the welding conditions.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an operation terminal of a welding robot that can set welding conditions while simultaneously checking the state of an arc and welding conditions.

It is a figure which shows the outline of the welding robot system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the operation terminal of the welding robot which concerns on embodiment of this invention at the time of welding. It is a figure which shows the cross section of the display area of the operation terminal which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the operation terminal of the welding robot which concerns on embodiment of this invention at the time of non-welding. It is a flowchart of the process executed by the operation terminal of the welding robot which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each figure, those having the same reference numerals have the same or similar configurations.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a welding robot system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The welding robot system 100 includes an operation terminal 10 of the welding robot 30, a controller 20, and a welding robot 30, and the welding robot 30 includes a welding torch 31.

The welding robot 30 is a device that performs arc welding. The welding robot 30 includes a welding torch 31 at the tip of the arm. The welding torch 31 includes a feeding mechanism for feeding the welding wire. Arc welding is performed by feeding a welding wire by a feeding mechanism provided in the welding torch 31 and generating an arc between the welding wire and the metal material to be welded. Arc welding may be performed by creating a program in which an operator specifies the operation of the welding robot 30 and executing the program on the welding robot 30. Here, the worker is a person who performs the welding work, and more specifically, a person who sets the welding conditions of the welding robot 30 while checking the state of the arc.

In welding by the welding robot 30, it is necessary to set the welding conditions of the welding robot 30 in advance. Here, the welding condition is a welding condition performed by the welding robot 30, and is a voltage applied to the movement of the arm of the welding robot 30 and the welding wire (not shown) included in the welding torch 31 (hereinafter, "welding voltage"). ”) And the value of the current flowing through the welding wire (hereinafter referred to as“ welding current ”) and the like. The operator sets the optimum welding conditions while checking the state of the arc. Further, the welding robot 30 is connected to the controller 20 via a cable, and an operation command can be obtained from the controller 20. Further, the welding torch 31 is connected to the welding power source 40 via a cable, and receives a welding voltage and a welding current supplied to the welding wire.

In arc welding, when the welding wire is momentarily brought into contact with the welding target and energized, an arc discharge is generated between the welding wire and the metal material, and the heat of the generated arc melts the welding wire and the metal material. , Welding is done.

The welding power source 40 transmits electric power to the welding torch 31 via a cable. Further, the welding power supply 40 is provided with a voltmeter and an ammeter inside. The voltmeter included in the welding power supply 40 measures the value of the welding voltage, and the ammeter measures the value of the welding current. The measured welding voltage and welding current values are transmitted to the controller 20 via the cable.

The operation terminal 10 of the welding robot 30 receives an input of welding conditions of the welding robot 30. The welding conditions are adjusted by the operator inputting the welding conditions into the operation terminal 10 of the welding robot 30 while checking the state of the arc. The operation terminal 10 of the welding robot 30 shown in FIG. 1 is connected to the controller 20 via a cable, but may be connected wirelessly. That is, the operation terminal 10 and the controller 20 may include a communication unit that performs wireless communication. By wirelessly connecting the controller 20 and the operation terminal 10, the operator is not bothered by the existence of the cable and is not restricted by the length of the cable, and the welding condition while freely moving. Can be set.

The controller 20 is a device that controls the welding robot 30. As described above, the controller 20 is connected to the operation terminal 10 of the welding robot 30, and can acquire the welding conditions input to the operation terminal 10. Further, the controller 20 is connected to the welding robot 30 via a cable, and can transmit the welding conditions acquired from the operation terminal 10 to the welding robot 30.

The controller 20 transmits the measured value acquired from the welding power source 40 to the operation terminal 10 of the welding robot 30. Here, the actually measured value is a value actually measured with respect to welding, and includes a measured value of the welding voltage measured by the voltmeter provided in the welding power supply 40, a measured value of the welding current measured by the current meter, and the like. .. Further, the operation terminal 10 displays the acquired measured value on the screen. Therefore, the operator can confirm the measured value by the operation terminal 10 of the welding robot 30.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an operation terminal 10 of the welding robot 30 according to the embodiment of the present invention at the time of welding. The operation terminal 10 of the welding robot 30 includes a display area 11 and a physical button 17.

The display area 11 is an area in which information to be confirmed when the operator sets the welding condition 15 of the welding robot 30 is displayed. The display area 11 displays the welding condition 15 and the actually measured value 16, and transmits a part of the incident welding light 18. A touch panel 12 is provided at the lower right of the display area 11. The configuration of the display area 11 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

As described above, the welding condition 15 is a welding condition performed by the welding robot 30. The welding condition 15 includes the movement of the arm of the welding robot 30, the value of the welding voltage, the value of the welding current, and the like. The welding condition 15 shown in FIG. 2 is an example of a welding condition, and includes a welding current value, a welding voltage value, and a welding process performed by the welding robot 30. From the welding condition 15 shown in the figure, it can be seen that the welding robot 30 is set to perform the welding process of "STEP 5" in a state where the welding current is "200A" and the welding voltage is "18.0V".

The welding condition 15 displayed on the operation terminal 10 does not necessarily include the value of the welding current, the value of the welding voltage, and the welding process, and may include only a part of these, or may include conditions other than these. good. The welding condition 15 does not necessarily have to be output in characters, and may be output in any mode as long as the operator can confirm the contents of the welding condition 15 such as a graph display.

As described above, the actually measured value 16 is a value obtained by actually measuring the welding performed by the welding robot 30. For example, the measured value 16 includes measured values of welding current and welding voltage. The measured value 16 shown in FIG. 2 is an example of the measured value. From the measured value 16 shown in the figure, it can be seen that the actual welding is performed at a welding current of "200A" and a welding voltage of "17.9V".

The welding light 18 is light generated by the arc discharge. The welding light 18 may include visible light, ultraviolet rays and infrared rays. Above all, since it is necessary to avoid directly looking at the strong visible light and ultraviolet rays contained in the welding light 18, it is difficult for the operator to visually recognize the welding light 18. Therefore, the operator confirms the state of the arc while blocking a part of the welding light 18 through the display area 11.

The touch panel 12 is an input unit that receives the input of the welding condition 15 of the welding robot 30. The welding condition 15 is input on the touch panel 12 by the operator touching the touch panel 12 with a fingertip or a pen. More specifically, one or a plurality of icons and the like that can be visually recognized by the operator can be displayed on the touch panel 12 portion of the display area 11. Further, the touch panel 12 can detect the position touched by the fingertip of the operator, and can identify the icon selected by the operator from the plurality of displayed icons. The touch panel 12 can transmit the icon information specified by the operator to the control unit, the controller 20, and the like included in the operation terminal 10. Although the touch panel 12 of this example is provided at the lower right of the display area 11, the position where the touch panel 12 is provided is not limited, and the touch panel 12 may be provided so as to cover the entire display area 11.

According to the operation terminal 10 of the welding robot 30 according to the present embodiment, the operator can directly touch the operation terminal 10 to input the welding condition 15, so that the operation terminal 10 can be operated intuitively. Can be done. Further, since the welding condition 15 can be input by displaying an icon or the like on the operation terminal 10 and directly touching the icon or the like, it is possible to prevent an erroneous operation of the operation terminal 10. Further, by providing the touch panel 12 instead of the physical button 17, the space for installing the physical button 17 can be reduced, and the operation terminal 10 can be made compact.

The physical button 17 is an input unit that receives the input of the welding condition 15 of the welding robot 30. The welding condition 15 is input by the physical button 17 by the operator pressing the physical button 17. The shape of the physical button 17 shown in FIG. 2 is square in a top view, but the shape of the physical button 17 is arbitrary. For example, the shape of the physical button 17 may be rectangular, circular, or the like when viewed from above. Further, the number of physical buttons 17 is also arbitrary.

The input unit included in the operation terminal 10 of the welding robot 30 is not limited to the touch panel 12 and the physical buttons 17 shown in FIG. For example, the operation terminal 10 can be provided with an arbitrary input means such as a lever or a dial as an input unit.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a cross section of a display area 11 of the operation terminal 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III shown in FIG. The configuration of the display area 11 will be described with reference to FIG. The display area 11 is configured such that the touch panel 12, the display unit 13, and the light-shielding plate 14 overlap each other. When the operation terminal 10 is used, the touch panel 12 is located on the operator side, the light-shielding plate 14 is located on the welding robot 30 side, and the display unit 13 is positioned so as to be sandwiched between the touch panel 12 and the light-shielding plate 14. The touch panel 12, the display unit 13, and the light-shielding plate 14 do not necessarily have to be arranged so as to overlap each other.

As described above, the touch panel 12 is an input unit that receives input of welding conditions of the welding robot 30. The touch panel 12 transmits at least a part of visible light incident on one side of the touch panel 12 to the other side of the touch panel 12.

The display unit 13 displays the welding conditions of the welding robot 30. The display unit 13 has a display surface, and displays the welding conditions of the welding robot 30 on the display surface. Information other than the welding condition 15 such as the measured value 16 may be displayed on the display surface. The display surface is configured to occupy a part or the entire area of the display area 11. The display unit 13 may have a frame area on the outer edge of the display unit 13, and may have a display control circuit or the like built in the frame area.

The display unit 13 may be a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display including a transparent substrate and transparent electrodes. The display unit 13 is configured to transmit at least a part of visible light incident on one side of the display surface to the other side of the display surface. Specifically, it is configured so that at least a part of the visible light incident from the welding robot 30 side is transmitted to the operator side. The display unit 13 may be configured to transmit visible light on the display surface, and the frame region may not necessarily be configured to transmit visible light.

The light-shielding plate 14 blocks a part of the welding light 18 generated by welding. The light-shielding plate 14 is composed of an arbitrary member capable of blocking welding light 18 such as a liquid crystal display and a polarizer. Further, the light-shielding plate 14 is configured so that the transmittance changes depending on the presence or absence of the welding light 18 incident, and the transmittance is such that the welding light 18 is incident as compared with the case where the welding light 18 is not incident. It is configured to be low in some cases. The light-shielding plate 14 according to the present embodiment has a transmittance that decreases to the extent that a part of the welding light 18 is blocked during welding, and increases to a extent that the welding robot 30 can be visually recognized through the light-shielding plate 14 during non-welding.

The transmittance of the light-shielding plate 14 may be controlled by the controller 20, and when welding is started by the welding robot 30, the transmittance of the light-shielding plate 14 is lowered to block a part of the welding light 18. May be done. Further, the controller 20 may control the light-shielding plate 14 to transmit visible light by increasing the transmittance when the welding by the welding robot 30 is completed. A light receiving sensor may be provided on the operation terminal 10 to control the transmittance of the light shielding plate 14 according to the amount of light received by the light receiving sensor. The transmittance of the light-shielding plate 14 during non-welding does not have to be high enough to allow the welding robot 30 to be visually recognized through the light-shielding plate 14, and the transmittance may remain as low as during welding. Further, the light-shielding plate 14 may have a structure in which the transmittance does not change, or may be such that the incident light is almost always blocked.

As described above, the touch panel 12 and the display unit 13 are made of transparent members, and the light transmitted through the light-shielding plate 14 is not blocked by the touch panel 12 and the display unit 13, so that the operator arcs through the display area 11. You can check the status of.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an operation terminal 10 of the welding robot 30 according to the embodiment of the present invention at the time of non-welding. FIG. 4 shows how the welding robot 30 can be visually recognized through the display area 11 of the operation terminal 10. The operation terminal 10 shown in FIG. 4 is the same as the operation terminal 10 shown in FIG. 2, and includes a display area 11 and a physical button 17. A touch panel 12 is provided in the display area 11.

The display area 11 transmits most of the incident visible light when it is not welded. This is because the light-shielding plate 14 constituting the display area 11 does not block light. Further, the touch panel 12 and the display unit 13 are made of a transparent member that transmits visible light, and do not block the visible light that has passed through the light-shielding plate 14. Further, since the operation terminal 10 at the time of non-welding is shown in FIG. 4, only the welding condition 15 is displayed in the display area 11, and the actually measured value 16 is not displayed.

As described above, the touch panel 12 and the display unit 13 are transparent without shading by the light-shielding plate 14 at the time of non-welding, so that the operator can see beyond the display area 11.

The display area 11 may have a configuration in which the presence or absence of light shielding by the light shielding plate 14 can be switched during non-welding. As a result, if the characters or the like displayed in the display area 11 are difficult to see, the light-shielding plate 14 can block the characters or the like, and the display area 11 can be used as a black background to make the characters or the like easy to see.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of processing executed by the operation terminal 10 of the welding robot 30 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The processing of the operation terminal 10 of the welding robot 30 determines whether or not welding has started, and if it is determined that welding has started, the light-shielding plate 14 starts shading, and then the input welding condition 15 is applied. This is a process for adjusting the welding condition 15 of the welding robot 30.

The operation terminal 10 displays the welding condition 15 of the welding robot 30 on the display unit 13 (S10). After that, it is determined whether or not welding has been started (S11). Here, the determination as to whether or not welding has been started may be performed by providing a light receiving sensor for detecting the welding light 18 in the operation terminal 10 of the welding robot 30 and checking whether or not the light receiving sensor detects the welding light 18. good. Further, it may be determined whether or not the welding has started by the operation terminal 10 of the welding robot 30 receiving the welding start information from the controller 20.

When it is determined that the welding has not been started (S11: NO), the welding condition 15 is continuously displayed on the display unit 13 (S10), and it is determined again whether or not the welding has been started (S11).

When it is determined that welding has started (S11: YES), shading by the shading plate 14 is started (S12). After that, the measured value 16 related to welding is acquired from the controller 20 and displayed on the display unit 13 (S13).

Next, it is determined whether or not the input unit has received the input of the welding condition 15 (S14). When the input unit receives the input of the welding condition 15 (S14: YES), the welding condition 15 of the welding robot 30 is adjusted according to the input contents of the welding condition 15 (S15). After adjusting the welding condition 15, it is determined whether or not the welding by the welding robot 30 is completed (S16). Here, the determination as to whether or not the welding is completed may be performed by providing the light receiving sensor on the operation terminal 10 and detecting the welding light 18 in the same manner as the determination of the welding start, or the welding is completed from the controller 20. This may be done by receiving the information of.

If it is determined that the input unit of the operation terminal 10 does not accept the input of the welding condition 15 (S14: NO), it is determined whether or not the welding is completed without adjusting the welding condition 15 (S15). It is done (S16).

When it is determined that the welding by the welding robot 30 has not been completed (S16: NO), it is determined again whether or not the input unit has accepted the input of the welding condition 15 (S14).

On the other hand, when it is determined that the welding by the welding robot 30 is completed (S16: YES), the shading by the shading plate 14 is finished (S17). As a result, the processing by the operation terminal 10 of the welding robot 30 is completed.

According to the operation terminal 10 and the welding robot system 100 of the welding robot 30 according to the present embodiment, the welding light 18 is blocked by the light-shielding plate 14 provided in the operation terminal 10, so that the operator confirms the arc state through the operation terminal 10. can do. Further, the operation terminal 10 is provided with a display unit 13 for displaying the welding condition 15 and an input unit for receiving the input of the welding condition 15. Therefore, the operator can set the welding condition 15 via the input unit while simultaneously checking the arc state and the welding condition 15.

According to the operation terminal 10 of the welding robot 30 according to the present embodiment, the transmittance of the light-shielding plate 14 automatically changes depending on whether or not welding is performed, so that the operator adjusts the transmittance of the light-shielding plate 14. There is no need to improve the efficiency of welding work.

The embodiments described above are for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and are not for limiting and interpreting the present invention. Each element included in the embodiment and its arrangement, material, condition, shape, size, and the like are not limited to those exemplified, and can be changed as appropriate. In addition, the configurations shown in different embodiments can be partially replaced or combined.

10 ... operation terminal, 11 ... display area, 12 ... touch panel, 13 ... display unit, 14 ... shading plate, 15 ... welding conditions, 16 ... measured value, 17 ... physical button, 18 ... welding light, 20 ... controller, 30 ... Welding robot, 31 ... Welding torch, 40 ... Welding power supply, 100 ... Welding robot system

Claims (3)

A display unit having a display surface for displaying the welding conditions of the welding robot and transmitting at least a part of visible light incident from one side of the display surface to the other side of the display surface.
An input unit that accepts input of welding conditions of the welding robot and
A light-shielding plate that is located so as to overlap the display and blocks a part of the welding light.
Equipped with a,
The input unit includes a touch panel.
The display unit is provided so as to be sandwiched between the light-shielding plate and the touch panel.
Welding robot operation terminal. The light-shielding plate is configured so that the transmittance changes depending on the presence or absence of incident light from welding.
The transmittance is lower when the welding light is incident than when the welding light is not incident.
The operation terminal of the welding robot according to claim 1. Welding robot that performs welding and
A display unit having a display surface for displaying the welding conditions of the welding robot and transmitting at least a part of visible light incident from one side of the display surface to the other side of the display surface, the welding conditions of the welding robot. An operation terminal of a welding robot, which is located so as to overlap the input unit that receives input and the display unit and has a light-shielding plate that blocks a part of welding light.
Welding robot system equipped with.

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